n. | 1. | The act or process of inflating, or the state of being inflated, as with air or gas; distention; expansion; enlargement. |
2. | The state of being puffed up, as with pride; conceit; vanity. | |
3. | Persistent expansion or increase in the general level of prices, usually caused by overissue of currency, and resulting in a reduced value of the currency. It is contrasted with |
Noun | 1. | inflation - a general and progressive increase in prices; "in inflation everything gets more valuable except money" Synonyms: rising prices Antonyms: deflation - a contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices disinflation - a reduction of prices intended to improve the balance of payments |
2. | inflation - (cosmology) a brief exponential expansion of the universe (faster than the speed of light) postulated to have occurred shortly after the big bang | |
3. | inflation - lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity | |
4. | inflation - the act of filling something with air Antonyms: deflation - the act of letting the air out of something |